Be Good
by dgwalking22
Summary: Daryl and Beth narrowly escaped the Governor's attack at the prison. Their need to depend on one another acts a catalyst to a new type of relationship between the survivors. As different as they are, they must now learn to trust and co-exist. But what happens when their relationship becomes more meaningful than they anticipated? (Beth was not kidnapped in my world ;)) Bethyl
1. Chapter 1

It seemed like forever since Beth's delicate fingers had touched ivory keys. The instrument lured her in, as if a magnetic force was omitting from this forgotten piano. How long had it been sitting here, alone, pleading for wear from a learned musician to coax a melody from its stiff chords? Maybe during a service before the outbreak grew so severe this mortuary could not keep up with the demand? As ugly as the world had become, Beth knew she could always find some sort of temporary solace in song. With Maggie ripped away from her, and her father murdered right before her very eyes, it was a wonder that she could find her voice at all. She knew she couldn't afford to submerge her thoughts in defeat. She had gone down that ugly road before. Difficult as it was, she would maintain her humanity, find her sister, and live. Like her father had said, _If you don't have hope, what's the point of living?_

She sat on the bench, feeling the wood creak beneath her as she settled in. Her hands hovered above the keys momentarily as her mind sifted through the vast musical library in her head. Fingers finding the keys, she began to sing. Daryl leaned against the door frame, listening for a stolen moment. He wouldn't admit it, but her voice had a soothing effect on him.

"…and pine for summer. And we'll buy a beer to shotgun, and we'll lay in the lawn and we'll be good…"

Clearing his throat, Daryl interrupted as he stepped into her private moment. "The place is nailed up tight, only way in's through the front door," he said, making his way to the open casket, his steps labored. He sighed as he pushed his body up with a small grunt landing on the plush white fabric inside of the casket. Swinging his legs into it, he layer back and nestled his body in the space.

"What are you doin'?" she asked, hunching her shoulders slightly, perplexed at Daryl's actions. Was he tempting fate? She shuddered at the thought, consciously making an effort to push the idea far out of her mind.

Unamused, Daryl responded with a factual, "This is the comfiest bed I've had in years," a hint of humor in his voice. He let out a sigh and rested the back of his hand on his forehead.

"Really?"

"I ain't kiddin'," he replied, his eyes finding hers. The soft candlelight highlighted her rounded features, reflecting off her large doe like eyes. She held his gaze for a small moment, and Beth noted that he looked at her with a little more respect now, not just a burden like before. With everything they had been through together, she would be lying if she didn't admit to herself that they had grown emotionally close since burning down the moonshine still.

Beth had been talking about finding the good in people. Whether or not Daryl wanted to admit it, he was good. She heard about how committed he was to finding Carol's daughter, and saw how he showed affection and care with Judith. And of course there was the way he looked after Beth, going out of his way to keep her safe these last couple of weeks.

Daryl forced himself to speak, snapping both of them from the daze. "Why don't ya go ahead and play some more. Keep singing," he said, his tone saddling both a request and command. A small smile formed on Beth's lips, though she fought to suppress it in case he was teasing.

"I thought my singing annoyed you," she asked, slightly fearful of his answer.

"Well, there ain't no jukebox, so." his eyes found her for a moment before she turned around to once again face the piano. Daryl watched her as muscle memory compelled her body to move with the instrument, pressing the keys softly as her sweet voice filled the room. His fingertips found his lips as he watched her play before leaning back and relaxing. He thought of Hershel and how proud he'd be to know his daughter fought hard to survive, and was making it.

He felt his eyelids get heavy as he slipped into a sleep, surrendering to the combination of Beth's voice, the soft lighting, and his tired body.

….

Now they were on the run again. Daryl wasn't expecting the herd of walkers to greet him at the door the previous night. He thought it was just that mangy one eyed mutt from earlier. _Just goes to show you don't let your guard down, _he scolded himself. If anything happened to Beth, he never would have forgiven himself. With her injured ankle, what would she have done? How would she have defended herself? Her words haunted him.

_You're gonna miss me so bad when I'm gone, Daryl Dixon._

He knew she was right. Beth vocalized what he couldn't; he needed her. He was tired of losing people, and Beth had restored his faith in humanity. She was precious to him in a way no one else was.

...

**A/N Hello! So I'm new, obviously. Such a short chapter! I know this stuff already happened, and I gave a play-by-play of the scene in the episode, but I just wanted to lay the groundwork for what is to come. I've got my own plot devices, some OC's, drama, walkers, and of course, BETHYL! So please read, review, and leave tips or suggestions on what you'd like to see happen in this story. **


	2. Chapter 2

"Look!" Beth called, pointing towards the tracks. "Terminus," she read out loud, reading the rest of the sign and eyeing the map appreciatively. Daryl's fingertips grazed his chin as he thought for a brief moment, before shaking his head.

"Hell no," he said. "Ain't tryin' to get caught up in any of that Brady Bunch Kumbaya town shit," he scoffed. "Woodbury was enough," Daryl thought that their safest bet was to stick with each other and keep trying to find their group. "If it seems too good to be true, prolly is,".

Hadn't they been comfortable so far, just the two of them? Daryl could continue to train Beth to fight, scavenge, and make the most out of their situation. She was a quick learner which made his job much easier, and Daryl had to admit he liked their routine and rhythm of survival. Aside from her coming-of-age need to try liquor for the first time, Beth hadn't disrupted Daryl's master plan of staying alive. He had to remember that Beth was still just a teenager, young, and eager for experience. He clenched his jaw at the thought of their difference in experiences as well as age.

"You don't think the others would go there?" She asked, pausing to bend down and rub her ankle. "We need to find a place to rest, it's gettin' late," Beth looked out towards the sun which had begun its descent into the trees. Daryl sighed, looking up and gripping his cross bow before looking down at her ankle.

"Still hurtin'?" he inquired. Beth adjusted her boot and stood up, shrugging. "I'll live,"

"That's the spirit," he joked before turning and making his way into the forest, Beth closely behind him.

They hadn't gone very far when Daryl found some tracks in the leaves.

"Walkers?" she asked, silently praying against it.

Daryl shook his head. "A group," he said plainly, bending down to touch the dirt peaking up through a crater in the foliage. "A couple people, maybe three, headed over there towards the river," he pushed himself up and readied his crossbow ahead of him. Beth let out a small breath, her hand automatically reaching for the handle of the knife she wore on her belt. Without changing his focus, Daryl motioned to Beth. "Stay close," he ordered, taking each step deliberately, scanning his surroundings. Beth could feel the adrenalin begin to pump in her system as she noted how dark it was getting. There had been no cars on the road to hide in. Maybe they should have just stayed at that mortuary. If they survived the night, she made up her mind that she would run this option past Daryl. He liked it there. She remembered the jar of jelly she snuck into her bag before the walkers surprised them that night.

Suddenly, Beth heard that familiar growling and hissing. The smell of decay captured her senses, but before she could look to see where it was coming from, she heard Daryl fire his crossbow.

"Get your knife, what you waitin' for?!" he all but yelled at her. Beth chided herself before pulling the knife from its sheath and whipping around to come face to face with a walker. She took a small step back to gain momentum before launching herself forward, her knife sliding easily into the forehead of a girl who must've been about Beth's age. After a moment, Beth gripped the handle tighter, yanking it from the decaying skull. When that walker fell, another took its place, hungrily grabbing for Beth. Without thinking, Beth shoved it away from her and it lost its footing. Quickly kneeling and delivering a thorough end to this second walker, Beth looked up to see Daryl fighting two at once with a third advancing out his line of vision.

"Daryl, behind you!" She called, watching him spin around and hearing a loud crunch as he knocked the walker on the side of the head with his crossbow. Heat began to singe her veins as the severity of the situation dawned on her. There must have been ten walkers snapping their jaws, closing in on them, reaching towards them, raging and hungry.

Daryl was stealthy in his movements, ending the walkers as quickly as they would come. Beth had noticed how muscular his arms were, and when she tried to load the crossbow during one of their lessons, she knew why. Daryl was powerful, but as skilled as he was, they needed an exit. Even the most seasoned fighter couldn't take on so many at a time. Beth felt light headed. Was it going to end here, now, after everything? What an anticlimactic way to go. At least she had enjoyed her first drink. There was so much she hadn't yet done. Her body kept moving, fighting, but her mind was distracted. She regretted denying parties and other adolescent indulgences and experiences before the world went to shit. Maybe she would feel a little better if she had given in, maybe threw caution to the wind once or twice.

"Beth! Get behind me!" he yelled, moving towards her and grabbing her wrist in one smooth move, pulling her against him. Daryl realized they were fighting an impossible battle, but he would protect Beth until the very end. To his merit, Daryl did not ease up. Not for one moment. Not even when the rabid snarls began to disappear around them. Beth grabbed the back of his vest holding herself up, her ankle stinging.

Daryl took a few steps backwards, forcing her up against a tree before his movements slowed. His breathing became apparent then. She watched his shoulders rise and fall rapidly as he fought to catch his breath. And then she heard the voices.

"How you like that!" a female voice called as Beth heard the unmistakable crunch of a blow to the head. The walker hissed before falling to the ground, twitching slightly before going still. Peering over Daryl's shoulder, Beth saw three strangers fighting the remaining walkers. Daryl held his crossbow up, moving his body to conceal Beth as well as he could. When the last walker fell, the group looked up at Daryl, his eyes unyielding behind his intimidating weapon.

"That's no way to say thank you," the same female voice said, holding her hands up. Daryl didn't recognize any of these people. As grateful as he was to them for saving their lives, he couldn't let his guard down yet. His gaze moved to the other two. Beth watched all three drop their knives to the ground, wiping the sweat off of their foreheads before putting their hands up.

"Who the hell are you?" Daryl called from behind the crossbow, still trained on the taller male of the group.

"Good people," the girl said, eyeing Daryl, raising an eyebrow and shaking her head. "Put that damn thing down for God's sake. We just helped you out," The tension was thick. "You headed to Terminus?" she asked. Beth bit her lip, gripping Daryl's vest tighter and trying not to breath too loudly as to avoid drawing attention to herself. "We got a shelter," the girl called, stepping towards Daryl.

Daryl eyed the two men quickly, searching their bodies for weapons or anything threatening. When he failed to see anything, his eyes moved towards the woman standing a couple of feet in front of him. Her dark hair was held up in a slick ponytail, and her clothes were neat. The other two looked kept as well. She flashed Daryl a smile.

"You like what you see?" Beth swallowed hard hearing this. She fought the urge to peak at the woman so comfortable engaging in suggestive dialogue with a dangerous looking redneck armed with a crossbow.

"You got a camp?" He asked curtly, ignoring her flirtatious tone.

"We do," she nodded slowly, not breaking eye contact, cocking her hip to the side and placing her hands on them. "You two look like you needed some help, maybe some refueling? Hungry, darlin'?" She called behind Daryl.

Daryl protectively took a step forward, pushing Beth back with his elbow. Beth awkwardly shuffled her feet before moving to Daryl's side and making eye contact with the woman slightly taller than Beth, but with a much more defined and rounded body. Beth was wearing a dirty gray cable knit sweater with her disheveled, dirty hair in a loose ponytail. She became a little self conscious as she noticed this woman's tight, clean, denim capris and equally tight black tank top. She wondered if Daryl had noticed the good shape she was in.

"I'm Kenna," she called, smiling at Beth for a moment before her eyes settled on Daryl, looking him up and down. Was it Beth's imagination, or did this girl really just lick her lips?

...

**A/N: Who the whatttt is Kenna?! I'm wondering how you're liking the story. Any predictions? Hopes, dreams? I love reviews because I am inspired by reviews & suggestions. Obviously I ship Bethyl, but there's so much to explore. Good things come to those who wait. We have to build it up! O:-)**


End file.
